Gregory Michael Brewer, age 12, of York county, N.B., Canada, for his question:

What is kyanite?

A large group of words ending in ite turn out to be minerals, and kyanite, also spelled cyanite, is one of them. Its first syllable comes from an older word for blue ¬blue minerals are quite rare. Kyanite is one of many silicates that are compounds of silicon and oxygen. It is found in glassy blue crystals often embedded in masses of schist or gneiss rocks. As a rule, its crystals are long blades with angled edges.

Kyanite performs wonders when mixed with the special clay ingredients used to make ceramics. It adds a gloss to fine porcelains and heat resistance to fire bricks. It adds refraction to spark plugs and hence plays a vital role in the automobile industry. Kyanite is mined in many regions along the eastern mountains of North America.